Is there any WNBA fanbase that has suffered more than Chicago Sky fans? In the 20 years of their existence, the Sky have twice drafted future Hall-of-Fame bigs and watched them develop into All-Stars, but failed to surround them with enough talent to compete. Sky fans had to watch as Sylvia Fowles and Elena Delle Donne won championships with their new teams while the Sky toiled in futility. It seemed like things had turned around when hometown hero Candace Parker returned to Chicago to deliver a championship, but gross mismanagement by James Wade led to trade requests from Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey after the championship roster was quickly denuded.

If all of that sounds familiar to more recent WNBA fans, it is because history is likely repeating itself. In an article from the Chicago Tribune Wednesday, Reese was as candid as you will ever hear a professional athlete about the shortcomings of her team’s roster and the offseason moves required to return the team to contention. The problem, as I see it, is that Reese is right about the Sky’s problems, and it seems extremely unlikely General Manager Jeff Pagliocca is capable of fixing those problems. If the Sky miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season, Sky fans should expect another trade request.

Missing the playoffs isn’t the end of the world, but when you mortgage your team’s future to trade for a veteran with one year left on her contract and still have the second-worst record in the league, it’s easy to feel like the Sky is falling. The Sky have been rudderless since Courtney Vandersloot’s torn ACL, but they were 2-4 before Vandersloot’s injury. Without her, Atkins, Rachel Banham and rookie Hailey Van Lith have all been overtaxed with the primary point guard and shot creation duties.

As Reese pointed out in Julia Poe’s article for the Tribune, the only known quantities going into next season are Reese and fellow second-year player Kamilla Cardoso. Rookies Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld haven’t proven they are WNBA rotation players. Neither has 2025 10th overall pick Ajsa Sivka, who did not play in the WNBA this season due to Eurobasket. Vandersloot is 36, coming off a torn ACL and is a free agent, along with the rest of the current roster.

The problem is that according to Poe, Pagliocca’s offseason plan begins with re-signing Atkins, Vandersloot and Banham. We have irrefutable evidence from this season that those three are not good enough to drive a winning offense and Banham and Vandersloot are major liabilities defensively. I am skeptical the Sky can lure an offensive anchor in free agency, especially if those three already have contracts.

If Chicago cannot strike lightning in free agency, their only potential saving grace is the 2026 WNBA draft. Chicago owes its pick to the Minnesota Lynx but they will still get a bite at the lottery with Connecticut’s pick, which they acquired in last season’s Marina Mabrey trade. If they can land Azzi Fudd, Olivia Miles, Flau’Jae Johnson or another guard who emerges during the college season, it could be enough, along with the addition of Sivka, to convince Angel to stay. If not, Sky fans could watch another Star go have success with another team while they struggle some more.